Your beer keeps the forest standing

Cardamom Tented Camp ecolodge in Cambodia has launched its own conservation beer with the tagline, “Your Beer Keeps the Forest Standing”.

Profits from the Cardamom Mountains Steam beer, now available at the ecolodge, help fund the conservation work of 16 forest rangers who protect 18,000 hectares (180km2) of surrounding lowland evergreen forest in the Botum Sakor national park, Cambodia’s largest. Since opening in 2017, the nine-unit award-winning camp has operated with the slogan “Your Stay Keeps the Forest Standing”.

“Now it’s the turn of beer drinkers to take one for the team and do their bit for conservation,” says camp manager, Allan Michaud.

Michaud chose the hybrid Steam beer after tasting sessions with Yuki Aotani, founder of Flowers microbrewery in Phnom Penh. The slightly hoppy beer – already a hit with camp guests – is 5.2% strong and sells in 330ml bottles for US$4.50 at the lodge’s small riverside restaurant.

Keeping it local is important for Michaud.

“With local Khmer dishes also on our menu, we make it easy for our guests to enjoy food and drink that reflect the best of Cambodia. Almost everything we do at the camp helps conservation of the forest and supports local suppliers,” he says.

Cardamom Tented Camp also sells locally made Ibis beer – profits from which are used to protect the rare Ibis bird in Cambodia – and craft beers made by the Stonehead brewery, also in Phnom Penh.

Recycled bottles

The Steam beers sold at the camp are in previously used 330ml bottles given to the brewery by the camp. Each month a percentage of income from beer sales and guest stays help forest rangers reduce illegal poaching, land grabs and riverbank sand dredging. This summer the camp added two new Wildlife Alliance forest rangers bringing the total to 16 now on patrol.

With illegal hunting down by a factor of about 90% over the last seven years or so, sightings of rare wildlife such as Asian elephants, silver langurs, smooth-coated otters and leopard cats have increased in the lowland forest around Cardamom Tented Camp.